Durban -
Fondly known as the Beacon of the Berea, St Thomas Anglican Church has been desecrated by thieves, who stole five of its stained glass windows on Sunday.
The church in St Thomas Avenue is one of the oldest mission sites in Durban and was built in 1868, using material imported from England.
One of the churchwardens, Barnie Barnard, said they had found two of the seven windows that had been taken down and left in the cemetery, but feared the thieves might return for them and the four that had been left untouched.
“They (the thieves) obviously want the lead, but to destroy an irreplaceable part of our history just for a few hundred rands…” he reflected wistfully.
One of the stolen widows was repaired only a few years ago, at a cost of R10 000.
The damaged stained glass windows depicted biblical scenes and the arrival of the Acutt family in the city.
The family later became famous for its role in the property industry.
Colonel Pat Acutt, who is a seventh-generation member of St Thomas, was angered and disappointed by the looting.
“This is not theft, it is desecration of our church and Durban’s heritage and we don’t even know where to begin with the repairs,” Acutt said.
He said they were looking for pictures of the stolen windows to be used as blueprints in reconstructing the scenes depicted on them.
“We can repair and replace the windows, but we can’t do that with history… I just wish the scrap metal dealers would trade responsibly and stop buying stolen goods.”
It’s estimated that fixing the damage would cost about R150 000 and the church has asked funders and skilled artisans to contact it.
Last month the church removed wrought iron from gravestones after looting. It hoped to pass it on to the provincial heritage body, Amafa, for safekeeping.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we might have to get a security guard for the church and cemetery, but obviously some have lost respect for the church and the dead,” said Acutt.
For more information, telephone Barnard on 031 201 2204.
The Mercury